SparkLab Gives New Meaning to Hands-On Education

I'm not sure if it already sounds anachronistic to talk about 'shop class,' but I have vague memories of a wacky middle school Metals teacher and an altogether incongruous Printing elective at my high school. The equipment was invariably second- (or third-, fourth-, nth-)hand, long-patina'd with wheezy nostalgia—this was New England, after all—and the dubious tutelage at the calloused hands of gruff semi-retired tradesmen relegated this sort of education squarely to the bygone days of yore.

Which is precisely why a new project by a team of Stanford d.school students is so interesting: they're looking to introduce new generations of young minds—future designers and otherwise—to a new generation of young technologies. In short, "Sparklab is a big red truck filled with cutting-edge maker tools that goes from school to school, bringing the joy of building back to kids."

The Kickstarter project is the culmination of a yearlong thesis project for an enthusiastic crew of 20-something makers with the savoir-faire to realize the potential of 21st century fabrication tools not just for making things but for education as well. If the idea of a mobile shop class isn't appealing enough as it is, they have the blessing of IDEO Founder (and d.school prof) David Kelley.

Thus, Sparklab is a worthy response to Sir Ken Robinson's challenge to "rethink the fundamental principles on which we're educating our children" by elevating creativity to the same status as literacy as a foundation of education. Speaking of TED, Robinson's imminently quotable 2006 Talk is a must-see call-to-arms about education reform.

Sparklab is more or less on track to reach their funding goal, as they have about three weeks to raise the remaining 75% of the $25,000 total. Read more about the team at Make or back them here.

An early teaser for Sparklab

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Formerly an editor and currently a contributor to Core77 (among other publications), Ray relocated from New York City to the Netherlands in September 2015 to pursue a Master’s in Curating & Writing at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Insatiably curious, he brings a broad interest in popular culture, media, and technology — alongside an abiding passion for art, music, and cycling — to his practice as a journalist and critic.

1 Comment

Great initiative, although it saddens me that it is necessary to come up with such a concept. A place where children are already deskilled towards machine like laborers is a harsh world to live in. The West needs makers again, it's time to bring the envisioned world of Papanek into reality.

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